Group Riding Rules

[CC Cowboy]

I went for a group ride Saturday with a bunch of guys, and one girl (passenger, but fun to ride behind), from the Daytona Sportbiker's Group (sorry no 250s). It was initially supposed to be my neighbor, my son, and me but my neighbor is really into this Daytona group ( and I have hung out with some of these guys too) and he thought I should post on their forum ( I am a member too) and see if anyone else wanted to ride. I have a great loop around the county and hate to share my bike routes (or anything else) because, well, that's the way I am.

We met up at Cycle Gear at 9am. There were 8 riders waiting for my neighbor and me (my son couldn't make it due to shoulder sugery). There was one guy that had posted a few posts on the forum that he could lead, he wanted to lead, and would it be OK if he led. Included in one post was the fact that he was the guy that almost crashed on the prior weeks ride.

I met everyone and had my routed written down so anyone who wanted to look at it could see where abouts we were headed. The one guy, we will call him Jersey (that kinda says it all if you're from the north east), besides that's his user name on Daytona Sport Bikers, looked over the route and said he knew about half the roads so I could lead.

I go over the basics of riding in everyone's mirrors, if we are going to fast just ride your own pace and we will wait, and no crashing. Then we took off and rode for a few hours with no problems (other than a dog chasing the last 5 guys, a huge snapping turtle in the road, and a nice collection of sand in a corner on a hilly road, which I had told everyone about before hand).

Jersey wanted to lead after we got close to the end of my back roads and he had actually proved that he took group riding like it was a race (did I mention he was the one with the girl passenger, and they were the only ones with no jackets) so I said he could lead after he told me his roads (which included doing a cloverleaf twice, a nice curvey road where a member of this group had a bad crash two weeks ago, and a few roads about 10 miles to the north).

Jersey took off at a blistering pace back down the road we had just rode. I was second and everyone else behind me. Although he was cranking the throttle I failed to take the bait and continued to ride the pace I had set during the entire ride up till then. When we got to the first stop sign (about 4 miles away) I told him that half the riders can't keep up and maybe he should slow the pace. I was surprised he actually slowed a bit. We got caught up in traffic and Jersey got antcy. He forgot there were 10 of us and tried to pass a pickup and a passenger car on a double solid line (no passing zone). Well the passesnger car was making a left turn (turn signal and right of way). Jersey clocked up the brakes and tucked back in line in front of the pickup. You can imagine what that driver thought. We got to the next traffic light (two lanes turn right) and Jersey couldn't decide which lane he wanted. We all ended up in the far right lane and Jersey, not phased by anything yet, kept telling us to take 95 and do the Beville Rd cloverleaf twice ( I think he wanted to be able to catch up to the slower guys and pass them in the turns).

The group takes the right, goes under the 95 bridge, and gets in the left lane to get on 95. The lights goes yellow and Jersey blows through the light forgeting about the 9 other bikes. We all sat there and said "Thank God". Jersey was off to the races, on his own.

We all got on 95 when the light went green and each went their own way home. My neighbor and I stopping at the Wing House to see if the girls there where still goreous, I mean to see if the beer was still cold.

Well, the moral of this story is there are rules to group rides (if you want everyone to be safe and enjoy the ride). I have posted this before on an inferior 250 site and I must add that I got these from Florida Sport Bikers Forum.

Group riding rules.

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1. When you change lanes, go to the far side of the lane so someone else can also change lanes. Example: If you are on the left side of the right lane, when you move to the left lane, go all the way over to the left side of the lane.

2. When coming to a turn on a regular road, (for a twistie road see rule 5) drop into a single file line. You should communicate either before the ride or during the ride with the bike beside you about who is going to go first and who will drop in behind.

3. Learn the hand signals. The basic ones that we use are:
A. Hand tapping top of helmet: There's a cop.
B. Pointing frantically to the ground with hand or foot: There's something in the road on that side.
C. Left arm extended and bent 90 degrees with closed fist: We are about to make a final turn in and stop
D. Left Arm extended and bent 90 degrees with open hand: Right turn.
E. Left arm straight out: Left turn
F. Left arm extended out and slightly waving up and down with open hand: slow down or possible stop.
G. Someone flashing all five fingers of one hand at you: you forgot to turn off your blinker.
H. One leg extended to side of bike: That person is about to change lanes in that direction. (I personally prefer and use blinkers, but you need to know this one.)
I. Pointing to the gas tank: I need gas.
J. Pointing to your stomach: I need food.

4. It is not uncool to use your blinkers to change lane.

5. When you're on a twistie rode with a group, ride in a single file line and DO NOT ride above you're skill level! We always wait at the end of the rode for everyone and usually do a head count to make sure no one went down. Take it easy, we will wait for you.

6. Don't go flying by someone at high speed in the same lane as they are in unless you know them and they have told you that it is ok. Please go by in a different lane.

7. If you want to stunt, go out front and every one try to pick one or two lanes to stunt in. Most experienced stunters do this, this is for the inexperienced. It is much better to get in front before you do a wheelie, etc. Riding up through a pack on your rear wheel is not the safest thing in the world.

8. When you first ride with a large group or an unfamiliar group, I suggest you stay in back and on whatever side that has an escape route. You need to be thinking what will I do if someone in front of me goes down. It does happen!

9. When the group puts the hammer down and it comes time for you to decelerate, if you don't brake and just let off the throttle, make sure that you tap your brake a couple of times so that the bikes behind you will know your slowing down.

10. Wear protective gear. At the least you should have a jacket, helmet, gloves, and ankle boots.

11. Make sure your bike is registered and you have a valid license, etc..

12. Be gassed up when we meet.

13. Emergency cards with all of your information and Emergency Contact info.

14. Occasionally when turning a bike might pull out to turn but in intersection... he is stopping to create a barrier so cars know to stop and allow the group to turn into the road.. be aware for this.....He will then rejoin as the last bike.

15. If you peel off during a group ride let someone know. we'll be looking for you..it's a real drag.

16. When following do not focus on person in front of you keep them in peripheral vision and focus ahead. (IE. Don't Target Fixate!)


If there is an accident..

A) Don't' move the rider unless he cannot breath/impeded helmet in water puddle. mud etc.. (helmet came off something in his mouth)..then keep the neck straight as possible..

B) Know CPR.

C) do not pull out anything impaled braches etc... leave them in as pulling them out you may allow more bleeding

D) know how to use a tourniquet.

E) Call an ambulance be on safe side.

F) Search for emergency card inside jacket inside or under seat.

G) Turn off bike. shut off lanes of traffic place bike in lanes etc if necessary....
H) Find out where they are taking rider.

I) When cops show up.. Have a plan on what your going to tell them, as a group. Everyone has to agree on what your going to say. That's all I'm gonna say about this.

J) Don't' take off helmet!! Make sure it goes with them to hospital for docs.
Keep talking to them if concussed etc.. don't' let them get up etc..

K) Use your head.
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[Snake]

Those are some good rules to know. I guess you felt they were so relevant to you listed them twice.

[CC Cowboy]

Thanks Rick. I have no idea how that happened since I copied and pasted for the FSB forum.

A funny thing happened when I went on DSB today. Jersey posted that his passenger gave him grief about taking off on the rest of us. He also said he didn't get laid (must be a Jersey thing).

He was a good rider. Just too fast for the group and the street.

[Snake]

No wonder he didn't get laid. he sounds like he is in too much of a hurry and like the song says "women like a man with a slow hand, an easy touch..." well enough of that.

[noche_caliente]

I especially like this part:

13. Emergency cards with all of your information and Emergency Contact info.

Another thing that may come in handy is to have ICE programmed into your cell phone - that way if you're not responsive and someone can find your phone, they can look for ICE and dial it

[komohana]

thanx a lot for posting those rules AND your ride narrative

[Banzai]

Way too many groups, especially ad hoc ones, don't perform a pre ride brief. I'm glad to see that you do. It can save lives, and certainly saves lots of frustration.

I refuse to ride with a group that does not pre brief, and ones that will not use the standard group ride set up. Or anyone that fits the "Jersey" profile!

Ever since my sister and brother in law took the "Road Captain" safety course, it's been much safer, and more enjoyable to ride with them.

[Alex]

Can you expand on #14? I'm not sure it's ever a good idea for a bike to stop in traffic to allow other bikes through and hope that cars see him and stop for the entire group.

Some groups here try things like that, they call it "road guarding". LEO bikes get clobbered from time to time stopped in that manner, even with all lights blazing. It's even less safe for those without a huge amount of bright flashing lights all over the bike. They often try it at entrance ramps to highways to allow the whole group to get on together. One rider was killed in Monterey last year trying this very thing, got run over by a car behind him who was concentrating on merging into the highway instead of a motorcyclist stopped for apparently no reason right in the middle of the merge lane.

I think one thing that can make group rides more dangerous than they need to be is when people on them start to believe that it is life or death that the entire group stay together in one long chain no matter what. It just isn't that important. Everyone needs to manage their own risks by riding their own bike individually, and taking on additional risk just to make sure you're 6 feet off of the guy in front of you at all times isn't wise.

[ScorpionNinja]

I have alil sumin too Add. as for your stopping and waiting for the rest of the riders to catch up. While i learned this during my days of riding ORV trials in northern mi. when ppl pass you (to your left, as oncoming) ppl hold up a NUMBER of FINGERs as a means of saying " Hey i have 1,2,3,4,5 Riders coming up behind me...so slow down and be careful" you could have the Last rider hold up Fingers to show how MANY ppl in the group are still behind. Aka the very last rider shows ZERO (OK sign) and then proceed on.

Funny note... the very first time i was riding on the ORV trails... i was on a yamaha 450 ATV (not the kind used by Hunters, the VROOM VROOM kind), my buddy was on his 350 Raptor... we set out, rode for afew miles then i saw other riders , riding past us.. ohcoming to our left (like driving on reg. roads) ... so the First Person (HOT looking CHICK) holds up 5 Fingers...... so im behind my friend, just us TWO... then i Wave back and hold up teh 'WAVING' hand to all them going by....... ROFL

they were like " Ohhh ok 5 more ppl behind this guy.... ok......... hmmmmm i dont see anymore? WTF".

when we got back to his cabin, i asked about all that.. and he was like LMFAO... Sorry dave, i forgot to tell you about that! then explained the ORV trail thang! lol

[Banzai]

Agree on the road guarding, very dangerous. One group I ride with (a group of Red Knights) tried it for a while, until a cop at one of our bike nights told us about how often they get hit doing it with all lights blazing, and we cut it out.

Alex brings up another good point of group riding. When in formation, it's at least a 4 second seperation from the guy in front of you, and at least 2 seconds seperation from the guy off to the side of you when staggered.

Too many want to ride way too close, or surge and lag unpredictably, making for a very dangerous formation single file or staggered.

Ride your own ride. If the group is worth riding with, they'll let you catch up and understand. If you're worth riding with, you'll wait for others to catch up.

[capt_bugaloo]

So I take it you will not be riding again with 'Jersey' any time soon..?

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by noche_caliente

I especially like this part:


Another thing that may come in handy is to have ICE programmed into your cell phone - that way if you're not responsive and someone can find your phone, they can look for ICE and dial it

I always call ICE if I see illegal aliens riding:

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Our mission is to protect national security by enforcing our nation's customs and immigration laws.

But having In Case of Emergency in the cell is a good idea to.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by capt_bugaloo

So I take it you will not be riding again with 'Jersey' any time soon..?

Jersey just needs a little talking to (by everyone). He is a very good rider but doesn't understand the time and place for fast pace rides is the track. He is young and will get the hang of it sooner or later. We will see how this coming weekend goes. He has posted a fast pace ride on roads he knows (he posted he is leaving the girlfriend home so I'm guessing dangerously fast). We will see who shows up for it. I'll probably miss it but will hear about it Sunday night. You have to understand we aren't talking 250s. The bikes were 600s and 1000s so fast pace means fast. The speed doesn't scare me as much as the tickets. Luckily I'm old enough to ride my own pace no matter who I'm riding with (hear that Valentino).

I wrote to him telling him if he is the leader he is responsible for the other riders, hence the title "leader".

I'd like to see him on the track. I think he would do well.